Typically, speaker systems have been used to acoustically and electronically reinforce amplified sound reproduction of musical and other audio performances, whether by live instrumentation or by playback of recorded material. The speaker systems may include single or multiple speakers loaded within rectangular speaker cabinets. Conventional rectangular speaker cabinets, especially when loaded with multiple speakers (e.g., the common so-called “4×12” enclosure), may exhibit a narrow beam of sound originally intended to project the sound in a “long throw” manner during live performances.
With modern sound reinforcement practices, this may no longer be necessary in many cases, and may even be perceived as harsh and sonically undesirable. This “beam” of sound may effectively create an effect similar to a comb filter, whereby clear peaks and troughs of sound energy are experienced based on the location of a listener relative to the axis of the speaker. For example, as a listener moves across the plane of the speaker face, the volume, distortion, and/or other characteristics of the sound may significantly change.
This may create an undesirable experience for audience members located within the dispersion pattern. Further, some sound system engineers counteract the effect by omitting a significant portion of the audio spectrum associated with the “beaming” performance to achieve a more pleasing overall audio mix. While this practice may be common, it may be detrimental to the original performance. For example, many live audience members may experience the performance from a location that is off-axis from the speaker, or may listen to a recorded version that has been significantly “corrected” by a sound engineer in an attempt to recreate the original sound.